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Last reviewed on 12 May
With everyone in the UK being asked to stop social contact during the COVID-19 outbreak, it can be limiting, especially when trying to plan evening or weekend activities.
Initially being at home can be a novelty, but after a while we all need new ideas to stop ourselves from becoming bored and to remain in contact with our community. Below are some things you could try out.
With the weather improving, keep yourself active and start gardening. This is a great time to start weeding, pruning, planting and maybe a little bit of outdoor DIY with the help of an online tutorial from YouTube.
De-stress with an in-home daily workout. If social distancing has you feeling down or inactive, take up exercise as a proven mood-booster. Our leisure centres have closed but the staff are delivering workouts on Facebook, and you can find online classes with our Sports Development team. Don't forget YouTube offers a wide range of kickboxing, yoga, HIIT, and other video-streamed routines.
Lose hours getting immersed in a new book – you can download e-books or access your local St Helens library online.
You can still exercise outdoors and enjoy the fresh air, as long as you maintain distance from others.
Relax or learn to cope with stress through mindfulness meditation. Read Age UK’s beginner's guide to mindfulness.
Hang out with your pet. If you're staying indoors, why not attempt to teach them a new trick? Or try new walks across the borough.
We can’t visit our nan, grandad or elderly relatives during this time, so keep in contact by writing weekly letters so they can keep up to date with your lives.
Add a little of bit of culture to your life and explore hundreds of global museums thanks to Google Arts and Culture.
Work on your cooking skills and try out a new recipe. A great time to meal prep and keep the freezer fully stocked. Homemade brownies are a great freezer essential!
Start spring cleaning your home. De-cluttering your cupboards and organising your shelves and drawers all help to create a relaxing home environment.
Catch up on podcasts. A great distraction when taking a lunch break, or a nice additional voice to listen to while cooking, doing at-home exercise, or taking a walk around the local area.
With platforms like FaceTime, Google Hangouts, and Skype, you can still share a drink with friends, engage in conversation over dinner, or host a group yoga session — all from the comfort of your own home. Just don’t be late for your virtual meet-ups!
Get crafty indoors or the garden and keep your mind and hands busy by kickstarting a new DIY project. Whether you want to learn how to sew, create fabric flowers, or build your own wooden pallet barbecue, YouTube has a wide range of free tutorials for almost everything.
If you have a guitar, keyboard or a dusty drum set indoors, consider teaming up with friends to create your virtual jam session.
Dust off the board games, find the playing cards or search out the puzzles and get competitive with your family.
Find your inner calm and start colouring or doodling.
Start your daily indoor step challenge and see how long it takes you to hit your 10,000-step daily goal.
Create a daily schedule and a to-do list to help you visualise what needs to happen each day.